[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation of post #741)

"I actually gotta give my man Kenny a big thank you," said McVey after. "See, I was gonna stick with a similar strategy to my other fights and just box the guy. But when we was trainin' last week, he just suggested that I try brawlin' for the first couple of rounds. Said Zora wouldn't be expectin' it. Well, it worked. Worked a damn treat."

"This must be a big relief to be in such a strong position," commented ESPN's Bill Farris.

McVey made an exasperated noise. "Well, I ain't relaxin'," he said. "I may have won this fight pretty easily, but Zora's still in it, man. So is Tucker, so is Arthur. Everyone saw what Johnny did to Tony T., so I ain't qualified for nothin' yet. But even if I had, my pride is stronger than that. I don't wanna see no blemishes on my record, man."

***

As McVey said in the minutes before his entourage departed the ring, "Zora's still in it". The reason why? South Africa's Johnny Arthur scored an extraordinary upset win over 25th seed Tony Tucker, coming back from being within seconds of a 3rd round TKO loss to take a 58-55, 58-54, 57-55 unanimous decision victory.

Like Folley, Arthur came into the evening with a record of 2-0-2 and in the position where a win was imperative for him to stay alive in the tournament.

Round one set the stage for the drama of what was to come as the two combatants went toe-to-toe in the centre of the ring. It was a very similar start to what would happen in the Main Event, with the exception being that it was a more even round. Even so, each judge awarded it to the Michigan-born Tucker.

Arthur maintained his pace in round two while Tucker slowed down. It appeared that a flush left hook early in the round stunned Tucker and he struggled to shake off its effects as the round progressed. Arthur returned to his corner with a spring in his step, pumping his fist in self encouragement.

But if he thought he was in control, he couldn't have been more wrong. Tucker's trainer lit a fire under him during the intermission and the big guy came out with destructive intentions, tagging the South African with a series of damaging blows. It was a controversial round, as Arthur looked incapable of continuing as the final seconds ticked away and Tucker hammered him with five unanswered shots. But the bell saved him and he wobbled back to his corner. Tucker voiced his unhappiness to referee David Harrison and looked clearly frustrated as he sat on his stool, shaking his head.

The Michigan slugger continued his impressive work into round four but will look back in hindsight and wonder why he wasn't able to dispose of his still rattled opponent. But what made his failure even worse was the moment at the end of the round, a moment that turned the bout on its head. With the last seconds ticking away, Arthur had Tucker boxed into a neutral corner and he unloaded a textbook perfect left hook that landed flush on the chin and snapped Tucker's head around on his shoulders. He crumbled to the canvas just as the bell sounded to end the round.

The audience greeted the knockdown with a howl of approval but seeing as the round was over, under HBF rules there was no need for a count to be administered. Tucker appeared stunned, but was able to convince Harrison that he was fit to continue. The 25th seed wore a perturbed expression and his cornermen tried to jolt him out of the haze, splashing water in his face and slapping his face.

But the knockdown had done its job. Tucker more or less sleepwalked through the final two rounds, allowing Arthur to take them in dominant style. Tucker looked like he'd rather be anywhere else and when he was sent to the canvas for a second time, thirty seconds from the final bell courtesy of a wicked body shot, it was clear that his chances of maintaining his perfect record had evaporated.

The verdict was greeted with applause and Arthur's corner reacted like he'd just been crowned World Champion. He was paraded around the ring on his trainer's shoulders, flexing his biceps and thumping his chest ecstatically. Tucker sat on his stool, a towel covering his head.

"I came in here with positive thoughts," said Arthur. "I never considered that I would lose this fight, because that would mean my chances in the tournament are over and I never want to think about that. From day one, my belief has always been that I can progress to stage two and this win will really help me achieve that."

Arthur was asked how he was able to recover from the beating Tucker unleashed on him in round three. The South African just shook his head and placed his hand over his heart.

"It's in here," was all he said, his voice cracking as the realisation of his achievement started to overwhelm him.

***

Besides being an astonishing victory, Arthur's win has kept the fight for progression out of Group Eight alive and kicking. If he had lost, both he and Zora Folley's chances would be done and dusted but his win sees the group standings look like this:

1st: 1(8) Sam McVey, 5-0-0(1)
2nd: 2(25) Tony Tucker, 4-1-0(1)

3rd: 4(57) Johnny Arthur, 3-0-2
4th: 3(41) Zora Folley, 2-1-2

In series six, Tucker and McVey will face off, as will Arthur and Folley. If Tucker can manage to defeat the 8th seed, it will secure a birth in stage two for himself and also for McVey. But based on tonight's results, I can't see Tucker pulling it off. As they say, stranger things have happened, but it appears that things are far from settled in the race for progression in Group Eight of the World Championship tournament...

(Coming up: The Memphis Undercard)